KFBK News

City Releases Environmental Impact Report for New Arena

City officials have released the environmental study of a new arena in downtown Sacramento.

It looks at the impact of the project itself at the Downtown Plaza, but also of the retail, office and residential space that would be built alongside it.

The report says the proposed new arena would accommodate more than 1.6 million visitors and nearly 200 events a year. While the arena site would include 1,000 parking spaces, 13,500 more are typically available nearby.

The study also states that a new arena would reduce overall vehicle miles traveled to events by nearly 20%, in part because of it's proximity to the city's population center and because about 10% of attendees are expected to either walk to events or use mass transit.

The report reveals the possible effects on air quality, with officials saying building the new arena downtown would result in a substantial reduction of air pollution when compared to a suburban setting and greenhouse gas emissions would decrease 36% from the current levels at Sleep Train Arena.

When it comes to noise, while a substantial increase in ambient noise is likely around the arena, noise levels could temporarily exceed city standards during construction. The construction could also create significant vibration that could disturb people and damage buildings.

Then there's the traffic. Intersections along L, P, H and 10th streets could be trouble spots and need special controls on game nights.

The biggest impact would be at the corner of 3rd and J streets near the I-5 off ramp, however, it's only expected to add about 5 seconds to an average morning commute and 3 seconds to an afternoon commute.

The one exception would be between 6-7pm as fans arrive for games.

It's estimated that 3,800 jobs would be created as well with 2,100 of them at the mixed-use space.

Chris Granger, Sacramento Kings president, applauded the work of those who put the report together, saying:

"We commend the City of Sacramento on reaching this latest milestone in our efforts to revitalize the downtown and create over 4,000 jobs. We look forward to continuing to work with the City and Sacramento residents as we build not only the most state-of-the-art and fan-friendly arena in the NBA, but the most environmentally sustainable as well. This project will be built to the highest environmental standards possible -- from farm to fork concessions and recycling to public transit and air quality."

The report will be the subject of a public forum Wednesday night at City Hall.